The Maleficent actress penned a beautiful tribute to Bertrand, who died from ovarian cancer at 56, in a personal op-ed for The New York Times.

"I lost my mother in my thirties," the 44-year-old wrote. "When I look back to that time, I can see how much her death changed me. It was not sudden, but so much shifted inside. Losing a mother's love and warm, soft embrace is like having someone rip away a protective blanket."

Angelina Jolie and her mother Marcheline Bertrand in 1998. (Getty)

Jolie reflected on her mother's split from her father Jon Voight, after he'd had an affair, and how it changed the course of her life.

"It set her dream of family life ablaze. But she still loved being a mother," Jolie wrote.

"Her dreams of being an actor faded as she found herself, at the age of 26, raising two children with a famous ex who would cast a long shadow on her life," she added. "After she died, I found a video of her acting in a short film. She was good. It was all possible for her."

Jolie's parents Marcheline Bertrand and Jon Voight in 1977. (Getty)

The actress decided to get a tattoo of the letter 'W' on her hand, which referred to the Rolling Stones track 'Winter' that her mother played for her in times of sadness.

"As the 'W' faded on my hand, so did that feeling of home and protection," Jolie wrote. "Life has taken many turns. I've had my own loss and seen my life take a different direction. And it hurt more than I imagined it ever would."